The instrument of this desk
The Navigator
Four soundings — your state, your entity, your situation, and where this state sits in your map — and the desk plots the course: what the law requires of you there, which route fits, and the five numbers to compare before you hire anyone. No providers are recommended; courses are.
Take your soundings
The chart in full — no instrument required
The Navigator computes from the same soundings printed here: the requirement from the entity and jurisdiction tables below, the course from the decision table. Nothing the instrument knows is missing from this page.
Who must keep an agent — by entity
Table scrolls sideways on small screens →
| Entity | Agent required? | The rule |
|---|---|---|
| LLC | Yes | In the formation state and every state of foreign qualification. New York: the Department of State is the statutory agent; Pennsylvania: a registered office or CROP. |
| Corporation | Yes | Same as an LLC, in every state the corporation is formed or qualified. |
| Limited partnership / LLP | Usually | Most states require it of registered partnerships; check the plate for the state in question. |
| Nonprofit corporation | Yes | Registered nonprofits carry the same duty as other corporations. |
| Sole proprietor / unregistered partnership | No | No filing exists to demand one. The duty attaches the day an entity is formed or registered. |
The decision table
Table scrolls sideways on small screens →
| Your situation | The course the desk plots | Why |
|---|---|---|
| No entity filed (sole proprietor) | No agent required | No filing exists to demand one. The duty attaches the day you form an entity or register as a foreign one. |
| Not formed yet | Decide the agent before you file | The appointment is part of the formation filing. Choosing it first avoids a change filing — and a second fee — later. |
| Real office, staffed, one state | DIY is genuinely viable | You already pay for the address and the hours; the agent's fee buys little. Keep the filing calendar yourself. |
| Home-based | Hire a commercial agent | The registered office is public record. An agent's fee is the price of keeping your home address out of the state's database. |
| Rarely at one address | Hire a commercial agent | The office must be staffed in business hours whether or not you travel. Presence is the product. |
| Several states | Split the chart | DIY where you truly sit; commercial agents in each foreign state. Price the per-state renewal, not the bundle banner. |
| Several states — and the state in question is foreign to you | Hire a commercial agent in that state | No desk of yours stands there. DIY belongs at home port only; abroad, hire. |
| New York (any situation) | Designate the Department of State | New York's Department of State is itself the statutory agent; a private agent is an optional extra. |
| Pennsylvania (any situation) | Registered office or a CROP | Pennsylvania runs a registered-office system; a Commercial Registered Office Provider fills the post. |
Every jurisdiction — the requirement at a glance
Table scrolls sideways on small screens →
| Jurisdiction | The role is called | Filed with |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | registered agent | Secretary of State — Business Entities Division |
| Alaska | registered agent | Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development — Corporations Section |
| Arizona | statutory agent | Arizona Corporation Commission — Corporations Division |
| Arkansas | registered agent | Secretary of State — Business and Commercial Services |
| California | agent for service of process | Secretary of State |
| Colorado | registered agent | Secretary of State |
| Connecticut | registered agent | Secretary of the State — Commercial Recording Division |
| Delaware | registered agent | Department of State — Division of Corporations |
| District of Columbia | registered agent | Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection — Corporations Division |
| Florida | registered agent | Department of State — Division of Corporations (Sunbiz) |
| Georgia | registered agent | Secretary of State — Corporations Division |
| Hawaii | registered agent | Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs — Business Registration Division |
| Idaho | registered agent | Secretary of State |
| Illinois | registered agent | Secretary of State — Department of Business Services |
| Indiana | registered agent | Secretary of State — Business Services Division |
| Iowa | registered agent | Secretary of State — Business Services |
| Kansas | resident agent | Secretary of State |
| Kentucky | registered agent | Secretary of State — Office of Business |
| Louisiana | registered agent | Secretary of State — Commercial Division |
| Maine | registered agent | Secretary of State — Bureau of Corporations |
| Maryland | resident agent | State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) — Charter Division |
| Massachusetts | registered agent | Secretary of the Commonwealth — Corporations Division |
| Michigan | resident agent | Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) — Corporations Division |
| Minnesota | registered agent | Secretary of State — Business Services |
| Mississippi | registered agent | Secretary of State — Business Services and Regulation |
| Missouri | registered agent | Secretary of State — Corporations Division |
| Montana | registered agent | Secretary of State — Business Services |
| Nebraska | registered agent | Secretary of State — Business Services |
| Nevada | registered agent | Secretary of State — Commercial Recordings Division |
| New Hampshire | registered agent | Department of State — Corporation Division |
| New Jersey | registered agent | Department of the Treasury — Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services |
| New Mexico | registered agent | Secretary of State — Business Services Division |
| New York | Department of State (statutory agent); private agent optional | Department of State — Division of Corporations |
| North Carolina | registered agent | Secretary of State — Business Registration Division |
| North Dakota | registered agent | Secretary of State — Business Division |
| Ohio | statutory agent | Secretary of State — Business Services |
| Oklahoma | registered agent | Secretary of State — Business Filing Department |
| Oregon | registered agent | Secretary of State — Corporation Division |
| Pennsylvania | Registered office / CROP | Department of State — Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations |
| Rhode Island | resident agent | Department of State — Business Services Division |
| South Carolina | registered agent | Secretary of State — Business Filings Division |
| South Dakota | registered agent | Secretary of State |
| Tennessee | registered agent | Secretary of State — Division of Business Services |
| Texas | registered agent | Secretary of State — Statutory Filings Division |
| Utah | registered agent | Department of Commerce — Division of Corporations and Commercial Code |
| Vermont | registered agent | Secretary of State — Corporations Division |
| Virginia | registered agent | State Corporation Commission — Clerk's Office |
| Washington | registered agent | Secretary of State — Corporations and Charities Division |
| West Virginia | registered agent | Secretary of State — Business and Licensing Division |
| Wisconsin | registered agent | Department of Financial Institutions — Division of Corporate and Consumer Services |
| Wyoming | registered agent | Secretary of State — Business Division |
After the course is plotted
The soundings behind the instrument
The Navigator applies three entries from the logbook: the requirement itself (Entry 02), the honest DIY ledger (Entry 04), and the pricing architecture (Entry 05). Read them and the instrument holds no mysteries — which is the point of it.